GMS

Lessons Learned

What a week it has been for object lessons in poor and consequential decisions for people! Jared Fogle of Subway fame is accused of crimes against children and Josh Duggar outed as an adulterating Ashley Madison user. What Lessons Learned can be had from this weeks news?

Here are a few lessons I’ve observed from the failure of these two well known men:

Small To Large – They started with the small things and escalated up from there. In both of these instances, the trouble in which these men now find themselves started merely with a thought. Those thoughts turned into an action and when no one seemingly noticed their behaviors, they believed themselves immune to the realities of their choices which allowed their poor choices to ramp up in intensity.

2) Personal Conscious – They allowed their consciouses to become dulled to reality. When they chose to bypass the ‘conscious switch’ in their lives, they developed two personas: the public face they put on for work and family, and the dark farce of their private reality. It takes a tremendous amount of hard work and emotional energy to live two lives and causes a person to lose touch with their ability to realize the pain their decisions are causing others.

3) Would not trust – They refused to trust anyone with their secrets that could intervene and actually help them BEFORE they totally destroyed their lives and the lives of those around them.

What about us? What can we take away from their grievous mistakes?

Guard yourself from small compromises so that they do not become big failures. Remember what we do in secret will someday come to light.

Listen to your conscious – stay sensitive to those small intuitive feelings that help bring clarity. The ones the help you discern between doing what is right and doing what contradicts your core beliefs and values.

Find someone to trust. Force yourself to trust someone. Stop the excuses of why you can’t trust someone with your dark secrets. The life your save might very well be your own.